3 Cowboys players who deserve blame for gut-wrenching loss vs Eagles

2. Michael Gallup

In fairness to Michael Gallup, he bounced back admirably down the stretch after his devastating drop on third down near the end of the first half. He started the second half on the bench and that decision was absolutely called for. Most fans would argue it was overdue.

Tied 14-14 with a chance to go up a touchdown before halftime, the Cowboys were driving reasonably deep into Eagles territory. After not getting a sniff of Prescott's target share all game, Prescott turned to Gallup on 3rd and 3 and Gallup dropped it, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a field goal and three-point lead.

Do the Cowboys end up scoring if Gallup moves the sticks? We'll never know, but given the heater Prescott was on, you couldn't rule it out. A 21-14 lead going into halftime changes everything. Sure enough, the Eagles got the ball to start the second half and marched down the field to open up a 21-17 lead.

The Cowboys never led again despite a heroic performance from Prescott. In a game between evenly-matched rivals, one third down conversion could have made all the difference. Gallup didn't come through and Dallas paid the price.